A double figure scorer for two seasons in the Big East, Gerard Coleman is transferring from Providence to Gonzaga to complete his college basketball career.

Coleman, a 6-4 guard from Boston, chose the Zags over Xavier. His high school coach, Marcus O’Neil of the Tilton School in New Hampshire, told the Spokane Spokesman-Review that Coleman is “excited" about joining the Gonzaga program.

“We’ve been talking a lot,” O’Neil told the newspaper. “He felt like it was the right place for him. They’re all basketball and academics out there. It’s a serious environment where guys work hard, and he liked that.”

Coleman averaged 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds as a sophomore under first-year head coach Ed Cooley. Coleman shot 42.3 percent from the floor but only 5-of-21 from 3-point range. The Friars spent both of his seasons mired near the bottom of the Big East, and the chance to play for a perennial winner was appealing to him given that his choices came down to the Zags and Musketeers. Coleman also faced increased competition for playing time with elite recruit Ricky Ledo joining the Friars this season.

“He’s a gifted athlete, He’s got an incredible first step, good instincts for how to play. And he’s an outstanding finisher and rebounder for his size,” O’Neil said of Coleman. “He has extremely long arms and loves to play basketball. He’s in the gym all the time.”

Coleman will have to sit out the 2012-13 season under NCAA transfer regulations. He will have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2013-14.